Students warned away from construction

Campus Police have warned students to stay away from construction sites, for their own safety.

Because the hallway inside the Kaneff Centre is being demolished in order to attach it to the new Innovation Complex, the entrance closest to the Davis Building is now blocked off.

However, students have continued to pass through it at times when it’s open for construction workers, despite the signage, says Campus Police.

There is a lot of pedestrian traffic by this entrance because of the nearby bus run. This is proving dangerous, especially when a bus stops in front of “Gate A”, from which cement trucks sometimes back out towards the road, in place since last fall.

To date, there have been no student injuries, according to Campus Police, but there is a risk of it as long as this behaviour continues.

“Students need to be even more careful. We just want to be super sure that students pay extra attention,” said Len Paris, manager of Campus Police, in an interview. “When you’re trying to put a new building into an existing building which is still being occupied, it can be difficult.”

Paris also cautioned students not to text as they walk around campus near the construction sites.

The entrance has been closed off for the past week and will reopen in late August with the expected opening of the Innovation Complex. Meanwhile, the Blackwood Gallery, Matthews Auditorium, and some classrooms and offices are still open.

Students and drivers have also been parking on Outer Circle Road in the closed-off loop, which is currently only open to shuttle busses and emergency vehicles due to construction. The upper part of Parking Lot 9 has been opened to allow for student pickups, according to Parking Services.